Zamalek were held to a 0-0 draw by Ismaily in their previous Egyptian Premier League game (Reuters)
A toothless Zamalek side will be desperately looking for a solution to their attacking woes when they take on Arab Contractors in the Egyptian league at Cairo's Petrosport Stadium on Sunday.
Having scored a single goal in their last three league games, which included goalless draws with Tanta and Ismaily, Portuguese manager Augusto Inacio will be hopeful his side find the cutting-edge at Contractors ahead of their African campaign.
Having formally lost hope of winning the league title this season, a third-placed Zamalek will be looking to make the most of their remaining domestic games as a means of preparation for the CAF Champions League.
Zamalek open their group-stage campaign against Zimbabwean side CAPS United at home on Friday, looking for a win to boost their qualification chances for the last-eight.
The Whites' defense has notably improved under Inacio; with the team looking much more organized without the ball, not conceding a goal in their last three games.
Most notable is the defensive contribution of the team's wingers, something that seemed previously lacking under former managers, but the Zamalek fans will be concerned with their team's lack of edge in front of goal.
Zamalek edged out Masry 1-0 in Inacio's second game in charge, with Shikabala scoring following a first-half goal-keeping howler that eventually proved the winner.
Against lowly Tanta, where Zamalek were expected to cruise to victory, they hardly created chances, coming close only twice inside the whole 90 minutes.
In an attacking sense, the Cairo giants looked much better against Ismaily, but still lacked the decisive touch in the final third.
And with just a few days before opening their CAF group-stage campaign, Inacio will be hoping his side will be able to find the net against an 11th-placed Arab Contractors side.
Zamalek welcome back gifted playmaker Ayman Hefni after recuperating from injury, with another attacking midfielder in Mohamed Ibrahim also available.
Inacio, meanwhile, opted to leave out striker Bassem Morsi and winger Shikabala as the manager preferred to rest the duo before the CAPS United clash.
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